Atletico Madrid sold 40 percent of Saul's rights for $1.7 million

Atletico Madrid sold 40 percent of the rights of their midfielder Saul Niguez, to an investment fund for 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million) when the Spanish footballer was a junior, Football Leaks portal revealed on Thursday.

Football Leaks uncovered a document dating back to March 2011 when the defensive midfielder was only 16-years-old and had not even made his debut with the first team, reports Efe.

The document showed that the rights were bought by the Dublin-based Quality Football Ireland, which has been linked on several occasions with Peter Kenyon, former sporting director of Chelsea, and Jorge Mendes, Portuguese soccer agent.

Under the agreement on Saul's rights, the $1.7 million will be paid to Quality Football Ireland if an offer to sell the player is rejected or if the player's contract expires without moving to another club, or even if Saul renews his contract with Atletico.

Atletico should also inform Quality Football Ireland about any negotiations on a possible transfer, but the investment fund has no right to influence any transfer of the player.